MADIGAN: PREMCOR TO CLEAN UP 51 LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS AND PAY $500,000 PENALTY

Chicago - Attorney General Lisa Madigan today said an agreement was entered in Cook County Circuit Court that requires Premcor Refining Group, Inc., to pay a $500,000 civil penalty to the State of Illinois for petroleum releases from leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs) at 51 sites in 41 Illinois cities.

In addition, Premcor also must clean up contaminated soil and groundwater at all 51 sites by 2011. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) will verify clean-up at each site after it is completed.

As part of the settlement, Premcor must perform an environmentally beneficial project at a total cost of $562,343 to remove 35 underground storage tanks at nine separate service station locations in Illinois by 2011. Premcor currently is not required by law to remove these tanks, and performance of this project is expected to prevent potential future releases of petroleum into the environment. If Premcor does not spend all of the money in removing the 35 underground storage tanks, it must spend the remainder of the money on another state-approved project, or pay the remainder to Illinois’ Environmental Protection Trust Fund.

“We are pleased that Premcor will clean up petroleum contamination at these 51 sites within five years. This timely cleanup will improve the quality of the soil and groundwater and will protect the health of people who live near these sites,” Madigan said.

In May 2005, Madigan filed suit against Premcor, formerly known as Clark Refining & Marketing, Inc., alleging that LUSTs had contaminated soil and groundwater at 27 former Clark facilities throughout Illinois. Madigan’s suit alleged that the releases of gasoline and other petroleum products resulted in elevated levels of benzene, a known human carcinogen. Today’s settlement with Premcor adds 24 former service station locations to the 27 originally identified in the May 2005 complaint.

Assistant Attorney General Katherine Hausrath is handling the case for Madigan’s Environmental Bureau. The following list identifies the former Clark stations included in today’s consent order.

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